Smoothie Recipes

A Blender Bender

Check out the top three smoothies sent in by readers for our smoothie recipe contest. Plus, the winner of the Kitchen Sink award

February 28, 2006

Edited by Jamie Bellavance

Talk about a smoothie transaction. For our Transformation program, we asked you to send in your most creative, healthy smoothie recipes. Our judges narrowed the entries down to the 6 they most wanted to sample. Then the MensHealth.com editors gathered the ingredients and bombarded our company test kitchen to recreate your concoctions.

Three dirty blenders and one clogged sink later, we decided on a winner and two runners up. The winner will receive 5 one-hour sessions with registered dietitian Lindsey Webster, who has given several live nutrition chats on MensHealth.com.

Below are the most satisfying smoothie recipes you sent us. We even threw in one surprising mixture that we nicknamed "the kitchen sink." Why? Because it contained nearly everything you might find in the drain (spinach, banana, collard greens, pumpkin, cocoa and about 10 other ingredients), but when it was blended up, it tasted just like chocolate pudding.

First Place: Choco-Nutty Workout Buddy

Submitted by: Cami - Phoenix, AZ

3 tablespoons of Chocolate Protein Powder

8 oz of Skim milk

A squirt of Chocolate syrup

5 ice cubes

1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter

2 oz of chopped almonds

1 tablespoon of your favorite flavor of instant coffee granules

Blend on high for 30 - 45 seconds

Editor's note: This one tasted like a frappuccino without all the sugar. The coffee lovers craved it as is, but if you avoid caffeine, just leave out the coffee.

Runner Up: Mango-Banana Mania

Submitted by: Lisa - San Dimas, CA

1/2 cup of vanilla frozen yogurt

1oz of coconut flakes

1/2 banana

3 large strawberries

1/4 cup sliced mango

3/4 cup light orange juice

1/4 cup pineapple juice

Blend together; add Equal or Honey to taste

Editor's note: It tastes like a trip to paradise. The mango and coconut flakes are what made this shake stand out from the crowd.

Go on to the next page for the third runner up and the kitchen sink recipe...

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